Atlanta Infant Nerve Injury Attorneys

Has Your Infant Suffered Nerve Damage Due to Medical Malpractice?

The process of birth can be painful, draining, and even dangerous. But once it is over, you get the pleasure and honor to hold your baby for the very first time. Nothing can take away the overwhelming sense of wonder that comes with that moment. But there is also nothing as heartbreaking as finding out that your baby was injured during birth, and that the doctor you put your trust in was the reason the injury happened.

Nerve damage can have significant consequences on your child’s future. They may struggle to develop physically and socially, leaving them with stunted skills as they get older. On top of that, your ability to support them financially may be depleted as you try to get them the surgeries, therapies, and treatments they need. However, if their nerve damage was caused by a negligent medical professional, you may be able to pursue a medical malpractice claim.

But these cases are complicated, and you will want to work with the skilled Atlanta infant nerve injury attorneys at Grant Law Office to ensure your case receives the attention it deserves. With years of medical malpractice experience, our attorneys can advocate for the compensation you need after your child was injured. To schedule a free consultation, call our firm at (404) 995-3955 today.

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The Different Types of Nerve Damage

Nerves run all throughout the body and allow the brain to communicate to organs, muscles, and limbs. Nerves also send signals back to the brain, allowing us to feel pain, temperature, texture, and so on. When a nerve becomes damaged, it can severely limit your child’s ability to move, feel, and even breathe. The type of nerve damage your child suffered will determine just what parts of their body are affected.

In birth injury cases, the most common types of nerves that are damaged include:

Brachial plexus: This is a network of nerves that sit between the neck and the shoulders. These nerves are responsible for muscle movements and sensation in the arms, shoulders, hands, and wrists. If your child’s brachial plexus nerves are stretched or torn, which can happen when the infant is being pulled on too much during birth, then it can lead to a partial or complete loss of arm use and movement.

Facial nerves: Our facial expressions, mouth shapes, and eyelids are all controlled through specific nerves. During birth, these nerves can become damaged if too much pressure is applied to the infant’s head and face, oftentimes due to the mishandling of forceps.

Phrenic nerve: These nerves run through the neck down into the lungs and heart. If these are injured, often trough a twist of the neck, then it can impact the infant’s ability to breathe properly.

Full and partial paralysis: Nerve damage in the neck or spine can lead to different degrees of paralysis. Your child may lose the use of one arm or of both their legs. They may end up quadriplegic, meaning they have no ability to control their body from the neck down. What ever level the paralysis is at, there is no doubt that it will have a severe impact on your child’s life and development.

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How Nerve Damage Can Impact Your Child

While an adult can learn to compensate for such a disability by using a wheelchair and various medical equipment to live a fairly normal life, nerve damage can severely impact a child’s ability to develop. Motor skills are an important part of growing up, as are social skills. Both of these are grown through the act of play. A child with severe nerve damage may not be able to play in the same way as their peers, leading to poor motor and social skills development.

Paralysis may also stunt a child’s physical growth. Muscles are built through use, which is why babies are often so active, waving their arms and legs around even as they are unable to crawl or walk. But if a child has no control over one or all of their limbs, the paralyzed parts of their body are likely to remain undeveloped, as the child cannot exercise them on their own.

Special surgeries, exercise, and therapy may help your child regain the use of their damaged nerves or help them continue to develop properly, even with their disability. However, these treatments can come at a high cost. In addition, multiple surgeries may be necessary over the course of your child’s life. Holding the responsible party liable may be necessary for you to secure the financial and medical future your child needs.

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Nerve Injuries and Medical Negligence

Nerve damage can happen in any number of ways at any age. Many adults suffer nerve damage due to an accident, and the same can be said of children. However, when it comes to infants, nerve damage most often happens due to medical malpractice. When someone becomes pregnant, it is up to their doctors to make sure that the fetus is healthy and developing properly. From there, it is also the doctor’s responsibility to make sure that the labor and birth run as smoothly as possible. While some births become difficult on their own, doctors and nurses can exacerbate the situation by using the wrong tools, applying too much force to the mother and the baby, positioning the mother incorrectly, not acting quickly enough, or not properly sanitizing the room and tools.

A single mistake or act of negligence could easily lead to your child growing up with serious nerve damage and developmental issues. If your child suffered nerve damage due to a negligent medical professional, then you are well within your rights to demand compensation. After all, such a serious injury will not only impact your child’s ability to develop, but it will also have serious consequences on your financial stability.

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Recovering Compensation From a Negligent Hospital

When an infant is injured or disabled, medical intervention is often needed. Infants are weak and still require a great deal of help to survive and thrive. That means injuries that an adult or even older child would be able to walk off could easily prove fatal. However, this fragility also means that treating infants can be incredibly risky. Thus, the treatments, therapies, and surgeries that your infant goes through in order to heal from their nerve damage can be incredibly costly. One surgery could leave you unable to pay for physical therapy sessions or for medical devices that your child will need as they grow.

However, when you file a medical malpractice claim, you can demand compensation from the liable party and their insurance provider to cover:

• Medical costs, past and future
• Assisted living equipment
• Loss of future earning potential
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Lowered quality of life
• Disfigurement

The hospital’s insurance company may try to argue with this compensation, as it is impossible to know how much trauma an infant has been put through and whether they actually did suffer any pain. However, a severe nerve injury will certainly impact their ability to play and grow and develop, meaning that there will likely be some mental and physical trauma as a result of the injury. A skilled attorney can argue just that on your behalf.

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Work With an ABPLA Board Certified Attorney

When you are getting ready to give birth, you do so under the hope and expectation that your child will be born completely healthy. However, one medical professional’s mistake or inattention could leave your baby with serious nerve damage that may never be fixed. While we at Grant Law Office can’t reverse the damage that was done, we can advocate for both your and your child’s financial future. Our founding attorneys have more than 40 years of experience between them and can thoroughly investigate your case. Wayne Grant is board-certified in Medical Malpractice law by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys, meaning that he is more than qualified to review your case and negotiate proper compensation on your behalf. To secure the legal aid of an Atlanta birth injury attorney, call our firm today at (404) 995-3955.

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Additional Information

• Brachial Plexus Injury in Newborns - MedlinePlus
• Erb's Palsy (Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy)
• Facial Paralysis in Children - Johns Hopkins Medicine